As officials work to ID remains found in Milwaukee, family of missing woman waits for word

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MILWAUKEE -- Efforts are underway to identify skeletal remains discovered in a wooded area near 96th and Allyn on Sunday, February 21st. Some people looking for deer antlers made the discovery, and police were called.

Skeletal remains found near 96th and Allyn

Officials with the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office said Monday, February 22nd the remains were being analyzed by a forensic anthropologist to determine the identity, cause and manner of death.

Meanwhile, at least one Milwaukee family is wondering whether the remains belong to their missing loved one.

FOX6 News has learned University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor Fred Anapol is the forensic anthropologist analyzing these bones.

In a past interview with Anapol, he told FOX6 News generally, he can tell right away if the remains belong to a man or a woman. If there is hair, race can be determined and dental records are crucial to making an ID.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor Fred Anapol

"I may spend four to five hours over a skeleton. Your dental work, fillings are like fingerprints. We will look and work closely with (police) on a current missing that they have," Anapol said.

Skeletal remains found near 96th and Allyn

A police source tells FOX6 News there is a person missing from the area from late in 2014.

Family members of 18-year-old Stephanie Myles confirm they're waiting for word.

Stephanie Myles

Myles disappeared in December of 2014 near 85th and Brown Deer Road. At the time, her family said she was cognitively delayed and had met a man recently on a dating site.

While the remains found Sunday haven't yet been positively identified, it's clear Milwaukee police are looking for clues as to who this person was, and what caused their death.

We're told it's not uncommon for people who make a hobby of looking for deer antlers finding human remains like this. Two years ago, a body was found in Wauwatosa by people who were hiking and looking for deer antlers.